9 fun facts about the pig races at the NYS Fair (video)

The Hollywood Racing Pigs show has been drawing crowds at this year's New York State Fair. There are three free shows daily. Each one lasts about 15 minutes.

The shows consist of three events: One heat with two pigs racing through an obstacle course; another heat of three pot-bellied pigs rounding the track and a winner-take-all finale of six pigs racing.

There are three shows dailyDavid Figura l NYup.com

Show emcee Crystal Coronas answered the following questions about the races:

What's the big attraction?

It's just a lot of fun. You really can't help how attractive it is. You come out here and see these little guys racing for cookies. And they have a lot of funny names.

What kind of cookies do the pigs prefer?

Oreos and vanilla creme cookies. They love them, the sweetness. They're like kids.

What do the pigs do when not racing?

Chill out, eat and sleep.

Do you make sure they're hungry before a race? Apart from the cookies, what do you feed them?

No, we don't starve them. They have a special pig chow. They're on a scheduled diet. We don't want them to get overweight or unhealthy.

What kind of pigs do you have? How old are they?

We have two types - (common) feeder pigs and pot-bellied pigs. They're all about a year old.

Show emcee Crystal Coronas said all the pigs are stars and their lives continue after their racing careers are over.David Figura l NYup.com

What happens when a pig gets past its racing prime?

These pigs are stars. We just don't send them to the slaughter house. We don't believe in that. After every racing season they go to farms that want to take in pigs for the rest of their remaining lives. If they stay with us, they end up going to someone who wants to keep them as a pet.

What are some of their funny names?

Harry Porker, Brittany Spare Ribs and Kim Kardashee-ham.

Do people bet on the races?

I'm sure they have in the past, but not with us.

When are the shows? How long does a race take?

The shows take place at 11 a.m., and 4 and 6:30 p.m. Each race takes from 10 to 25 seconds to complete.